Any news on BLI light and heavy Mikados.

Calzephyr Jul 25, 2020

  1. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    These were released in late June... but have not seen any reviews yet.
    I just ordered a couple of them at a hefty $$$, and would hate to find out they are faulty in some way.

    I have Bachmann's version of these without sound... DC versions of Model Power and an ancient DC only Kato heavy Mike. Bachmann's are pretty good... but the ancient Kato is bit disappointing in pulling power or climbing grades. The Model Power ones are on par or slightly better than the Kato version.


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  2. papahnash

    papahnash TrainBoard Member

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  3. Donstaff

    Donstaff TrainBoard Member

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    I have received my L&N that I ordered from Con-Cor forafor $288.00 am happy with it.
     
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  4. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks for the link.
    Hmmm... Spookshow sez this is a 2019 release... but it seems they were not released until recently... perhaps this is second run???

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  5. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thank you for your input!
    The good thing for me with BLI is that they are in FL... so if any problems they are 'only' 300 miles away from me.

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  6. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

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    First run was delivered in July 2019. Second run was delivered in May 2020.
    https://www.broadway-limited.com/schedule.aspx
     
  7. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks Point353.... wonder how or why I missed that first release???
    Perhaps there were different road names which did not interest me... since I had Bachmann versions already.
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  8. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Looks like I missed out on getting a Great Northern heavy Mike from the first batch in 2019... well.. at least I think I have a 'poor mans' Model Power version of it.

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  9. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

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    Maybe you didn't miss out after all.
    Check your PM Inbox.
     
  10. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thanks for the heads up for places which may have them. Going to stick with my 'poor mans' Model Power version.
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  11. brokemoto

    brokemoto TrainBoard Member

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    I have two of the USRA lights. I am not a DCC user. I like their track speed on DC. They do pull quite a bit of voltage, but, mine do not get hot or even warm. The appearance is very good. They run smoothly. The sound is pretty good on DC. They pull well. They are a bit pricey, but, still, I would recommend them to anyone.
     
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  12. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    Thank you Brokemoto.

    The two heavy Mikes should arrive Tuesday. My layout was dismantled 4 months ago... will have to set up some Unitrack for testing.
    I would like to compare to the other Mikes from Bachmann.
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  13. ns737

    ns737 TrainBoard Supporter

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    do's your kato mike have the trak tire on it. mine pulls 30 cars ok
     
  14. Calzephyr

    Calzephyr TrainBoard Supporter

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    It's the original 1996 release no TT. A club member who purchased it was incensed by it's lack of pulling ability and offered it to me for $50... about half of what he paid for it. The TT driver was offered a few years latter. I eventually bought one but never put it on. Good to know that the TT improves it... but it has been stored and who knows if it will perform 'like a Kato' now... 20+ years later.


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  15. MK

    MK TrainBoard Member

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    My bet is it will. It's a Kato! :LOL::LOL::LOL:
     
  16. ns737

    ns737 TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have four of the second gen. and they run just as good as if they where new.
     
  17. brokemoto

    brokemoto TrainBoard Member

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    Do you mean the SPECTRUM consolidateds from B-mann?

    The only Bachperssonn "Mikado", at least of which I am aware, is one that B-mann sold many years past and has long since discontinued. It was actually a Reading Company I-9 or I-10, which was a consolidated of the First World War era. Like several of its other issues, B-mann simply added a trailing truck to the 2-8-0, called it a "2-8-2" and hung whatever road name on it. In some cases, it added an oil Vanderbilt tender that looked something like an SP "Whaleback", but not quite. It sold a Baltimore and Ohio version of this. B&O Q-4s (the B&O "heavy" 2-8-2) did have Vanderbilts, but, they did not burn oil.

    Those things were little better than jumque. They had three speeds: very fast, still-too-fast and not-at-all. They had really serious electrical contact problems and were prone to cogging at anything less then fifty SMPH. I suspect that some of the speed control problems were due to that awful motor that B-mann used in that era. It was not as bad as the RR can motor, but, it was still bad. I fried the motor on mine fairly quickly. It sat i my parts box for years until LL came out with the FA-1 on a metal frame. I made some powered boxcars out of some of them and went looking for candidates for them to push or pull. I got out that B-mann, removed the fried motor, some gears and the idler trucks to make an 0-8-0. I added some weight and was amazed at how well the thing freewheeled. Aside from the horrible white plastic that made those gears prone to cracking, the gearing was not bad, at least as far as gear ratios went. Had Bachmann replaced those white gears, put in a better motor and added all wheels live tenders, the thing might not have been too bad.

    If you want to compare them to the SPECTRUM 2-8-0, the BLI is far better. It is as smooth as the old LL Berkshire (that has to be the smoothest N scale steam locomotive that I ever had seen). The B-mann is hurt by inconsistent QC; some run better than others. When the SPECTRUM 2-8-0 first appeared, it was a try-before-you-buy. I understand that B-mann has improved it and added factory DCC, but, I do not have any of those. If I compare it to the older SPECTRUM 2-8-0, of which I still have two (I had more, but sold them), the BLI wins easily.




    I had two Kato 2-8-2s that sat for years in their boxes. I took them out of the box to test run them before I offered them for sale. They sputtered and hesitated for a minute, then took off running. After a lap or two in each direction at higher speeds, I slowed them down to thirty, then twenty-five, then twenty, then fifteen SMPH. They ran aw well as they ever did after that. I was glad that I did not have to remove the shell to get to the motor so that I could put some LL track cleaner on the motor armature. Often, I find that I must do that if a locomotive has been sitting. Thank goodness! That Kato 2-8-2 locomotive shell is not the easiest to remove. In contrast, the tender shell comes off its chassis easily. Even the coal load pops out easily if you want to convert it to an oil burner.
     
  18. ns737

    ns737 TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have one of the newer bach. 2-8-0 . it was a basket case. I got it all back together and fine tuned it. it runs great now.but i still take my kato 2-8-2's over it.
     
  19. NorsemanJack

    NorsemanJack TrainBoard Member

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    I have a Kato Mikado, and I also have the optional traction tire driver. I've never installed it because my loco pulls a reasonable length consist (~20 MT cars) just fine without it. I don't have any silly grades, etc. so it just doesn't seem necessary.
     
  20. ns737

    ns737 TrainBoard Supporter

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    and also if your kato mike has a no 126-01 . you have a first run and they had driver pick up problems. they ran so so. kato fixed the problem with the second run. and they run great.
     

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